Fresco teamA no-code web publishing platform for the collegiate University
Content editing
Simple visual editing
Fresco editing is designed to help you focus on content, not technical detail. Re-order a page using the navigation pane. Duplicate sections on a page or save as templates
Flexible components
Fresco’s components are the building blocks of your site, designed to be intuitive, versatile and quick to combine into effective page layouts
Page templates
Create reusable page structures with or without placeholder content so editors can build new pages quickly and consistently
Curated content
Use Selected content to hand-pick pages and arrange them in the order you want
Dynamic listings
Automatically display content by content type and/or taxonomies, so listings stay up-to-date without manual editing
Reusable content
Create content once and use it in multiple places across your site. Save effort, keep content consistent and make changes in one easy action
Replicate pages
Copy an existing page which has a similar layout and content to what you need and edit it without affecting the original. Aids quick content creation
Adaptable content types
The Hero layout automatically matches the content type being used, and populates using metadata entered in the page's Edit Pane
Content management
Page types
Fresco offers five core page types — Page, Person, Article, Event and Location — to support structured publishing. These content types help editors organise information more clearly and improve how content is understood by search engines
Site navigation
Create a menu structure in Settings and either add pages as menu links there or add to a menu at page level
Organise with Taxonomies
Use Taxonomies to group related content, add filtering options for visitors, improve navigation and dynamic listings. They also make it easier to keep large sites organised as content grows
User-friendly page URLs
A URL is automatically created for your page based on its title. You have the option to overwrite this with a custom alias
Content workflow
Drafts and revisions
Edit a new draft of a page while a published version exists. You can view and compare revisions, and revert to an older version of the page
Approving content
Site Editors need other roles to approve their page edits. The Moderated content tab lists pages with a state 'Awaiting approval'
Site styling
Colour theme
Optionally select a primary theme from the Oxford brand colours to apply to your site header, buttons and links
Site header
Choose from Standard, Microsite, or Department. Use site-wide or create a custom header to apply on a particular page
Sites look great on all devices
Responsive design means your content works well across desktop, tablet and mobile and creates a consistent visitor experience. Use the preview tool when page editing
Choose a display style
When working with components, select a portrait or landscape style with or without an image to optimally display your content
Accessible by design
Built-in accessibility
Fresco websites are compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard. Built-in compliance checking is available at the page level using the Sa11y tool
Website administration
Integrated with Oxford SSO
Adding users is easy. Just enter their SSO and email address, and select the appropriate role. Be confident access to your site is protected by unique SSO accounts
Five levels of user permissions
Assign the appropriate access to your site from a read-only Site Viewer to a Site Administrator
Default platform web address
All new sites are given a unique web address by default in the format mysite.site.ox.ac.uk. You choose what the mysite part is during the site request process
Add a custom web address
Request a custom domain and set it to be the primary public-facing web address for your site
Customise site error messages
Choose your own message to display when a page isn't found or the user doesn't have permission to access content
Own your site's launch process
Sites are restricted to signed-in users and hidden from search engines by default. Control when you want to make your site public and available for indexing. Indexing can also be turned off at page level
Hosting, support and platform benefits
Secure managed hosting
Fresco is hosted on Acquia’s secure cloud platform with 24/7 monitoring, regular backups, HTTPS by default and automatic security patching. Oxford’s in-house team works alongside Acquia to keep sites secure and supported
In-house support and guidance
Editors have access to online help resources, step-by-step documentation, and a dedicated support team
Shared investment, shared benefit
Fresco evolves through feedback from its users, and every enhancement rolls out across all sites on the platform via a regular release cycle. This shared-service model saves time, improves consistency and helps raise quality across the University
Fresco User Community Group (FrUG)
Join the user community to benefit from peer support, drop-in sessions and opportunities to shape the roadmap
Integration with other University systems
Fresco is constantly evolving and we are developing integrations with other systems, such as Symplectic. Look at the roadmap to see what's in the pipeline. Keep up-to-date with new features by reading release notes
Last updated: 29 April 2026
Banner image by Lukas Muller on Unsplash